How do scorpion tacos sound? Would you be willing to try tongue or brain? Well, this past Saturday sixteen adventurous COOK guests did exactly that by enjoying a sneak preview of El Rey‘s Día de Muertos dishes. From Monday, October 29th to Sunday, November 4th, Chef Dionicio Jimenez will be serving cuisine traditionally served during the holiday celebration of the dead in Mexican households. With a bit of liquid encouragement from Beverage Director Matt Polzin, many guests cleaned their plates while learning about Día de los Muertos. Read on to see how Dionicio’s curiosity-invoking menu played out and get Matt Polzin’s Corpse Reviver #4 recipe, perfect for upcoming holiday festivities! 

When Dionicio first walked in to prepare for dinner, he was holding a tray of cooked scorpions. The scorpions were delivered to El Rey already cleaned – exoskeleton and venom removed – and then Dionicio and his team fried them up. If there were any traces of venom left, the high heat from the fryer ensures that the protein is cooked and safe to eat. Dio said scorpions compare in taste to fried shrimp, or soft shell crab, and that the tail is the tastiest (and crunchiest) part!

For this meal’s cocktail pairings, Matt Polzin was a bit stumped. After all, what do you pair with scorpion, worms and grasshoppers? So he playfully opted to make five variations of the Corpse Reviver cocktail, which like the name suggests, bring you back from the dead after a late night of drinking.

Once everyone had a Corpse Reviver in hand, they were ready to taste Dionicio’s dishes. The first course consisted of sesos ravioli con salsa de hormiga chicatana (brain ravioli in ant sauce), lengua Veracruzana (Veracruz style tongue with rice) and Morcilla (blood sausage). Chef Dio blended chipotle peppers and ants for a spicy, protein rich sauce. According to Dio, a pound of ants in Mexico can cost about $1,000 since they are mainly wild caught and not farm raised. Following the ant, tongue and brain, Dio served up heart, worm and grasshopper, and sweetbread tacos for the second course. The mezcal worms were sautéed with cherry tomatoes, corn and beans. Since the worms are found in agave plants during mezcal production, they give off an aroma reminiscent of the spiked plant.

Concluding the meal was the pan de muerto (Day of the Dead bread). Traditionally pan de muerto is consumed towards the end of the Día de los Muertos festivities as a sweat treat. To commemorate those who have passed, the sweet bread is usually eaten at their gravesite or at a personalized ofrenda (ritual alter). Pan de muerto is often decorated with bone designs or tear drops, but Dio chose to adorn the dessert with vibrant edible flowers.

In need of a digestif to pair with dessert, Matt stirred up an aromatic mint-laden Corpse Reviver. This was the strongest of the cocktails, designed to both get you ready for bed and aid in the digestion process. Matt was kind enough to provide us with the measurements for his minty Corpse Reviver #4. Read on to learn how to easily stir up one yourself!

Corpse Reviver #4
Courtesy of Matt Polzin

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 oz Cognac
• 1 1/2 oz Fernet Branca
• 1/2 oz Crème de Menthe
• Mint Sprigs (for garnish)

Directions

Stir all ingredients in a glass then pour into a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with mint leaf, giving it a good smack to release its oils.

If this class recap has peaked your curiosity and you would like to try any of Chef Dionicio Jimenez’s dishes, head to El Rey anytime from Monday, October 29th to Sunday, November 4th. Be sure to tell them COOK sent you!